ANT and Dec have apologised after a video on their social media sparked backlash, with fans calling it “insensitive” to those struggling with mental health.
The clip, promoting their new podcast Hanging Out With Ant & Dec, showed the TV legends dangling from a washing line in a take on the show’s title.
It was shared on Instagram and X but has since been deleted following a flood of negative comments.
Fans criticised the post, saying the image could be “triggering” for anyone experiencing mental health difficulties.
Another commented: “Very poor taste that. That is intentional to grab attention.
“Ant and Dec already have a huge following, why ruin their own reputation to promote a podcast.”
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A third social media user commented: “I knew immediately what the problem with this was before I even looked at the comments. What on earth?”
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 50, have since removed the clip and issued a public apology.
The pair acknowledged the reaction and said they never intended to cause offence.
A spokesperson for the pair said: “We did not mean to cause any offence with this promo video and we are sorry if it has upset anyone.
“We have taken on board the comments and have deleted the video.”
Mental health advocate and former The X Factor contestant Katie Waissel also chimed in.
She said: “I’m going to be blunt because this ‘creative direction’ is genuinely sickening and deeply disappointing.
“This opening visual of feet suspended above the ground is not a harmless ‘play on words’, it immediately reads as someone hanging, and the suicide imagery is impossible to ignore.
“Whoever signed this off as a marketing concept either didn’t think for a second about the real-world impact, or simply didn’t care.”
According to Waissel, 39, with such a large audience, the presenting duo had a “clear duty to act responsibly.”
In the video, Dec quips, “Did you agree to this?” to which Ant replies, “No, I thought this was your idea.”
Dec adds: “This is not what we meant by hanging out,” as Ant pleads, “Can someone get us down please?”
The Geordie duo usually dominate Saturday nights with hits like Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
But this year, they’re jumping on the podcast boom with their new show, launching later this month.
Dec said: “We asked our audience if we did a podcast what would they like it be about, and they said we just want you guys to hang out.
“So that’s what we’re doing! Ant & I don’t get to hang out as much as we used to, so it’s perfect for us.”
Fans can expect the pair to chat about their lives, answer questions and react to messages from listeners.
It’s part of their new Belta Box brand, which will cover YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Belta Box will serve up classic TV clips from their long-standing TV careers and “new digital formats.”
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
